Resistance tubes can be used for a variety of upper body exercises from chest presses to back rows, from bicep curls to triceps kickbacks.
Chest presses, for example, are done by wrapping your tube around a stationary object, like a pole, and facing away from the object. Hold your arms bent at shoulder height with your feet hip-width apart and press your arms straight forward as if delivering a double-punch. Then allow your arms to return to the starting position.
A cable row will work the muscles of your upper body in the opposite direction. Stand facing the cable with your arms extended in front of you. Your palms can face up to engage your bicep muscles. Pull backward against the cable and bend your elbows until your palms reach your ribs. Extend your arms forward again. Be careful not to allow your neck to move forward. Your head should be pulled back so that your neck is in line with your spine.
Do two sets of 12 reps if you are a beginner and work up to two sets of 20 reps or three sets of 15 reps.
Lower Body Exercises
Resistance tubes are not as useful for lower body exercises but there are still plenty of exercises you can do. Squats and lunges are the most beneficial because they work the major muscle groups of your legs. Deadlifts and glute kicks are effective exercises for toning the rear of your legs and glutes.
Cable squats are done by standing on the cable and holding an end of the cable in each hand. Be sure that the cable is even on both sides so one side is not longer than the other. Bring your hands by your shoulders with your palms facing forward and your elbows bent. There should be a lot of tension in the cable. Bend your knees and squat down without moving your hands. Push with your legs against the resistance from the cable and stand back up.
Tips
Resistance bands provide constant resistance. Adjust the length of your bands or your distance from them to make sure that you are always feeling some resistance. At the beginning of your exercise there will be a mild tension and then it should increase as you go through the range of motion of an exercise, but the tubing should never be slack. You can adjust this tension by tying knots in the tubes or by wrapping them around objects to shorten the length.
Your breathing should be coordinated with the movements of your exercises. When you are pulling against the tube, so the resistance is increasing, you should breathe out. When you are going with the resistance of the tubing you should breathe in.
